Tonight, Alice joins the hunt.

He is right; he can indeed see it.

As his attention deepened, the inner workings of this building, and indeed this universe, gradually became clear to him.

He saw overlapping, layered continents. He saw countless eloquent debaters arguing with each other on each layer. He saw endless conspiracies, betrayals, treacherous schemes, and cunning, all of which were enveloped by a single, overt conspiracy.

'The King of Wisdom is scattered among the peoples of the earth; only he who refutes all things will prevail. And the victor will ascend the highest throne and hold the universe in his hands.'—This is the content of the open strategy, and its function. Indeed, Chu Xuan and his adversaries have dispersed themselves among all things within this tower's universe. And indeed, only by refuting all individuals can one achieve ultimate victory.

It's the right thing to not go in. Even if you did, you wouldn't find Chu Xuan. Chu Xuan and his adversaries have already transformed this entire universe into an arena of intellect and deceit. And if someone of a higher level were to enter, they would be enveloped by endless conspiracies and schemes the moment they touched the earth.

Zheng Zha raised his fist; he felt he could handle this problem in a simpler way. Although everything in the seas was defined as 'mortal,' it didn't mean he was truly powerless here.

He was about to throw a punch.

but.

As his arm reached its highest point, he saw a familiar face appear behind the window of another building.

Another building, another universe.

The familiar face behind the window greeted him.

“Good morning, Zheng Zha.” — The name of the face’s owner was about to burst out of Zheng Zha’s throat.

“Saito Hajime.” Zheng Zha nodded and walked to the vicinity of the building. He looked at Saito Hajime behind the window and found that his companion seemed unusually weak.

“You look like you’re in trouble.” Zheng Zha glanced at Saito a few times, but didn’t bother to observe the true appearance of the building where Saito was. A certain understanding and a judgment deep within his heart prevented him from doing so.

“It’s certainly not looking good, after all, I’m currently caught in the crossfire between two powerful figures. However…” Saito nodded, then shook his head. “Your situation seems worse than mine, do you need help?”

"No need," Zheng Zha shook his head. "Although it's troublesome, I can handle it."

“Is that so?” Saito raised an eyebrow. “But do you know what your problem is? Or do you just have blind faith and completely fail to understand the root of your crisis?”

His question elicited a soft sigh from Zheng Zha.

“I do wish I could be like that.” Zheng Zha gently tapped his forehead. “If I really only had blind faith, then I wouldn’t have any problems or crises.”

He paused.

"I've become smarter, or rather, my current way of thinking has made me 'smarter'."

“And I shouldn’t have been so ‘smart’.”

Section 56. Zheng Zha, Part 3

Thoughts linger, desire to know; knowledge is abundant, thirst for thought.

The more intelligent a person is, the more they enjoy thinking and exploring knowledge.

The more a person enjoys thinking, the more easily they become trapped by thoughts and knowledge.

“If I were still doing more and thinking less, as usual, I would have already broken through the current predicament that is binding me. Just like Alexander the Great breaking the nine-linked rings, I would end it all in the simplest and most decisive way. But now, I am hesitant and timid.”

"Because I've become 'smarter,' because I know too much and think too much. As a result, I weigh the pros and cons, and as a result, I neglect one thing for another. Many paths have appeared before me, each of which is feasible yet harbors hidden dangers."

Zheng Zha stared at Saito Hajime and explained the predicament he was currently facing.

“I can see your current situation clearly, I can see your plans, Margot Lloyd’s plans, and even a part of Chu Xuan’s plans. Regardless of how many layers I can see, at least, all the appearances of your schemes have been reflected in my eyes.”

"But I know I shouldn't see through it, because I haven't focused my talents on this area in the past. Because I am your captain, and you are my teammates. I know the most appropriate way to allocate resources and what methods can be used to manage the entire team to its best."

“But you’ve changed your methods now. You’ve improved your intelligence, and you no longer see others as the strategists of the team.” Saito understood his implication and discerned the symptoms he was experiencing.

“Yeah… haha, I improved my intelligence. But I shouldn’t have done that.” Zheng Zha scratched the back of his head, seemingly trying to give an awkward smile.

He didn't succeed. He knew he couldn't... it was unlikely he would succeed.

Therefore, he simply clearly demonstrated this distortion and awkwardness.

"I see." Saito nodded behind the window, looking Zheng Zha up and down. His eyes moved, and he already understood everything.

Saito knew that Zheng Zha wasn't actually as stupid as he seemed... Of course, Zheng Zha wasn't that stupid. After all, he was a Transcendent Being who had single-handedly carved out his own path. So-called intelligence, thought patterns, and mental structures are all things that can be adjusted or rebuilt at any time. He was inherently intelligent, and he could have become very intelligent. The reason he usually acted that goofy and simple-minded in the team was simply because Zheng Zha had chosen to do so.

The team had its division of labor. Although all members gradually became omnipotent as they reached the extraordinary level, there were still imbalances and biases among individuals. With the shrewd strategists in the team actively retreating and reducing their presence and voice to give him, the team leader, face, his principles told him that he should do something in return.

Thus, he defined himself, decided his own way of thinking, and even planned the role he would play—he knew that once he started thinking, even using exhaustive methods, he would definitely be stronger than people like Xiao Honglu, who had not yet ascended to the level of true gods at that time. But he still chose to remain silent, investing all his resources and will into the battle.

He used this method to solidify the structure within the Central Continent team.

Within the decision-making team of the Central Continent Team, this consensus was tacitly understood, though it was not explicitly stated. And barring any unforeseen circumstances, the entire team would be able to work together within this stable framework until the end of this cycle of the main god.

However, accidents always happen.

Take now, for example. Regaining his wisdom signifies that he is shifting from his position as captain of the Central Continent Team towards the unknown. It means he is being distorted, being transformed, that his future self is correcting his past self. His past self is killing his present self.

Saito Hajime then shifted his gaze. He understood Zheng Zha's predicament, but he also sensed composure and determination within him.

"It seems you're ready."

“Yes, I am indeed able to make preparations now,” Zheng Zha replied.

“You just said you didn’t need my help. But here you are, talking to me about all this.” Saito pushed up his glasses. He glanced behind him, then made a closing motion towards the door. “Well, I think you must have some special needs right now.”

The door to the room behind him slowly closed—that was the reality.

A terrifying pollution phenomenon arose within the vast galaxy behind him. Everything with mass instantly corrupted and disintegrated, triggering a chain reaction. In the blink of an eye, a decadent wind swept through the four dimensions, disrupting spacetime and causing an imbalance between mass and energy. The ensuing storm quickly engulfed a star within the disrupted timeline, then spread from the star to the galaxy, and from the galaxy to the entire galaxy—an astronomical phenomenon powerful enough to tear a cantilever arm apart unfolded under the butterfly effect. All external interference was completely severed.

This is just appearance.

“You want a record from me,” Saito said confidently.

“Margot Lloyd’s high regard for you is indeed well-deserved, Saito Hajime,” Zheng Zha sighed. He admitted, “Yes, I didn’t ask anything of you at first. But now, I want that record from you. The record that made Margot Lloyd never favor humanity again after the Final Destination world ended. The record that allowed her and Chu Xuan to reach a tacit understanding, and that made her afraid to resurrect you prematurely.”

“I need that record; I need it to break the deadlock I’m in.”

How did you know it was a record?

“Just guessing…” Zheng Zha shrugged. But under Saito's gaze, he added a few more words. “If it were a treasure or a secret technique, then this thing would only have a one-time use, and Margot Royd wouldn't hold onto it so tightly. So I judged it to be some information, some intelligence. And this, coupled with some of my subsequent encounters, plus the fact that I always felt Margot Royd's actions were biased but I couldn't find a reason, led me to a rough conclusion.”

“You have a record of predicting the future, but this record is missing a very important interfering factor,” Zheng Zha said confidently.

His confidence was clearly not without reason.

"You've really gotten smarter, Captain... Is this record really necessary?"

"This is just the application of exhaustive methods..." Zheng Zha paused, his confident expression immediately fading away. "But yes, I have indeed become smarter, and that's what worries me. I've come up with a solution, and this record can slightly increase my chances of success."

"It's just adding flowers to brocade," Zheng Zha relaxed his brows and pursed his lips. "But it's also hard to say if it's not a timely help in need."

"So I guess your previous search for Chu Xuan was for this purpose as well?"

"Not entirely. Because I hadn't thought of that at the time. I just wanted to get a copy of the records that Chu Xuan definitely had. The reason I was able to figure this out is because you appeared here... You should know how anxious I am now."

"Looks like you're in a hurry."

"Yes, I'm in a hurry."

"...This record involves a lot of issues. Are you sure you really want to use it?"

Zheng Zha paused, raised his finger, and tapped his temple.

“I just recalled a sealed memory. During the Sacred Hunting Ritual, I had some contact with Margot Royd’s mother.”

“………………” Saito remained silent.

He pondered for a few seconds, then gave a wry smile. So he raised his finger and broke off a section of it.

The fact is that a finger is broken.

Within the building, in the universe where Saito Ichiro resides, a monstrous creature, born from the withered core deep within a dead star, roars and howls—it has undergone thousands of structural mutations in an extremely short period. Its power expands dramatically, sprouting hundreds of fingers from its body, and from those fingers grows thousands of mouths, within which surges uncontrollably waves of energy.

In an extremely short period of time, it rose from a selfless mortal to a different species of godlike status.

It did not wait for the great calamity of the era or directly leap to the end of spacetime, but the moment it stepped into the realm of true godhood, it began to stir towards a higher realm. In an instant, it took a step beyond the scale of any other being.

It succeeded; it successfully broke through the constraints of the surface of the Abyss and entered the inner part, into the multiverse of seas.

It failed; its accumulated strength and good fortune were ultimately insufficient. At the moment it stepped into the Abyss, it failed to truly understand it, but instead, it was understood by the Abyss. The final result was that this overconfident transcendent being was completely swallowed up the instant it touched the Abyss, while its remains were re-certified by the Abyss, ultimately twisting and reverting into a broken finger.

—This is the appearance that floats beneath the surface, affecting the vast universe, the entire process of the rise and fall of the overlord among the alien species, all for the sake of this record that was sent out.

Zheng Zha reached out and caught the finger that was the embodiment of the fake true god, which was then reverted to its original form once it left the universe.

He sensed intelligence; he knew the true nature of this target.

When he turned his attention back, the window in front of him had already closed. Saito Hajime's figure disappeared into the building that was the embodiment of the universe.

Very well, it seems that he can only take the first steps on his own.

He crushed that finger. Then, a massive amount of information and intelligence flowed into his palm.

[As expected, this is a record without Margot Lloyd, without Norrell, and even without Sirin. You are indeed different from us.]

[But this is for the best... no, it's actually better this way.]

The next moment, Zheng Zha extended his hand, fingers together. He moved to the plaza in front of an unfinished, bare building. And then—

"To open up new frontiers." — That's what he said.

Along with his words came the copy of the record wrapped around his hand, and his hand that was violently swinging forward!

The unfinished building and the nascent universe before him were altered.

An infinite single entity was simulated as a finite multiverse. And with that record at its core, a script that almost completely replicated that record was implanted into it.

And right after that—

—Time has moved to the 2007th year within this script.

..........................................

Zheng Zha stared at his other self in the script, watching this other self grow from infancy to adulthood. He watched everything unfold according to the script provided by Saito Ichiro. He saw 'himself' become a颓废 (颓废 is a difficult word to translate directly, but it implies a state of being listless, decadent, or颓废) white-collar worker. He saw that pop-up window appear in 'himself's' field of vision.

He didn't intend to change the script, so the 'Zheng Zha' in the script easily joined the reincarnation world and learned what misery and pain were in the first Resident Evil world.

He watched 'himself' take the first step. He saw 'himself' make many friends to fight alongside.

—His heart remained completely unmoved.

He stared at the script of "Alien," witnessing the deaths of Li Xiaoyi, Li Shuaixi, and others without feeling any grief himself. He observed the unfolding of the "Mortal Kombat" world, witnessing the Central Continent team, without Alice's participation, suffer heavy losses against the Indian Continent team, but he remained unmoved.

He knew he should remain silent, he knew he should endure and develop—in the past, he would never have been able to bear it all until it was over. But now, he found himself with more patience than he had imagined.

He simply watched silently, witnessing the civil war in the Final Destination universe, a world existing only in prediction records. He watched Zhang Jie's tragic demise, watched the team participate in the second alien world, and watched all the dangers be averted without serious harm. Then, in Raccoon City, he witnessed the first battle between 'himself' and the Devil Team.

He really wanted to have a good spar with Zheng Zha, the clone of the Demon Team, right there. But he ultimately restrained himself and didn't do anything outrageous. After that, he witnessed the destruction of the Central Continent Team and the second activation led by 'himself,' the survivor.

So the script continued to be developed.